Running with Problems

Mildly Athletic Couple

A podcast about the lives of runners and the problems we face.

  1. HÁ 1 DIA

    Mitch Dulleck: The Iditarod 350 Stories Continue

    Jon and Miranda check in sharing stories from crewing the eerie Badwater Salton Sea 81-mile team race, then shift into the brutal pull of Alaska’s Iditarod Trail Invitational. Mitch Dulleck walks us through training, gear, food, and the moment he chooses safety over the finish during a stormy ITI 350 attempt.  • Why extreme events become a way to prove you belong  • What makes ITI different from most ultramarathons  • Training in Leadville for cold weather and pulling a sled  • The “do not sweat” rule and how it shapes pacing  • Hydration and water-freezing problems in subzero temps  • Food choices that still work when frozen  • Navigation decisions on an unmarked course using GPX  • Finger Lake wind, ground blizzards, and frostbite triage  • Rainy Pass risk and the mental weight of rescue stories  • Turning back as a deliberate safety decision and planning the return  Hit us up at runningwithproblems.run or on Instagram. Please send any episode requests, something you want to learn about, a conversation you’d like us to have, and we’ll look into guests to have that conversation.  Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 30min
  2. 15 DE ABR.

    JC Returns: 350 Mile Iditarod Invitational

    For John Clark’s (JC) full bio revisit season 3 episode 4: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2437656/episodes/16363345 We sit down with JC to unpack his first winter ultramarathon finish at the Iditarod Trail Invitational 350, where dragging a gear sled through Alaska’s deep cold turns basic tasks like eating and navigation into real risk. We also talk through the behind-the-scenes prep, the gear, and the small decisions that add up over ten relentless days.  • what makes the Iditarod Trail Invitational so dangerous and so compelling  • hauling a 50 to 55 pound sled across lakes, rivers, and mountain passes  • gear failures leading to frostbite • how the ITI qualifier camp teaches wet-gear survival and vapor barriers  • gear iteration under extreme cold including sleeping systems and face coverage  • early navigation mistakes and why staying on the packed route matters  • Rainy Pass rescues and the winter ultra culture of helping others  • the mental grind after the pass with long gaps between aid and sleep  • the final push with shiver bivies and trail naps  • what JC would change before trying the race again  If you want to check out some frostbite, go to our Instagram.  Look for another episode on this epic event dropping next week.  Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 20min
  3. 18 DE JAN.

    Dave Scheibel - An Ultrarunner’s Wake-Up Call On Overtraining

    We talk with Dave about the slow, messy slide into overtraining syndrome, the missteps that worsened it, and the practical tools that brought him back to strong, sustainable running. Along the way, we share a content warning about a graphic post-credits medical story and explain why health metrics and honest pacing matter. • Catalina 50-mile recap and the mental game on long grinds • What overtraining syndrome is and why tests look normal • Early flags: insomnia, excess sweat, dizziness, migraines • Diagnosis by exclusion and the limits of quick fixes • Hormones, low testosterone, mood changes and trade-offs • Gut findings: H. pylori, candida and systemic stress • Returning via true easy training, vert, and HRV trends • Using rest, fueling, and life stress management • Why “listen to your body” is a performance skill • Publishing the OTS case series and shared patterns After we say bye, stay for the post-credits story. Trigger warning: blood, injury, intense medical condition, male sexual organs. Dave shares a personal story and has a few notes: "Sharing and laughing about the experience has given me a sense of control over it, and sharing it more broadly feels like a continuation of that. A penile fracture isn’t all that uncommon, but it’s rarely talked about—probably out of shame or embarrassment. My hope is that sharing my story could help others. Maybe runners will be a little more cautious with OTS too!" Check out the article on OTS we referenced in the episode: LINK TO FULL ARTICLE Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h 10min
  4. 17/12/2025

    From Borderline Diabetic To Podium OCR: John Castle’s Late-Career Rise

    A single photo can flip your life. That’s where John Castle’s story begins—49 years old, 45 pounds heavier, borderline diabetic, and staring at a version of himself he didn’t want to keep. Fast forward to today and John is a force in obstacle course racing, stacking Spartan Ultras, conquering World’s Toughest Mudder, and chasing Barkley dreams with an approach built on simplicity, routine, and a ruthless mindset. We dig into the craft behind his late-career rise. John lays out his daily hill—900 feet from his front door to the county high point—and how he threads running with functional strength: burpees at half-mile marks, rock carries, rope climbs, pull-ups in the woods, and box jumps on a cable spool. He explains why he quit the gym, modeled training after top OCR athletes, and switched to high-rep bodyweight work that solved decades-old knee pain and sharpened his grip, durability, and efficiency. Race day strategy gets real. John talks pacing a 50K with 60 to 70 obstacles, keeping his heart rate honest, and using transitions to refuel without ego. He shares what didn’t work (carb loading) and what did (beet juice, steady hydration, clean habits). We unpack the art of not quitting: finishing a lap with a fractured finger, course-finding at the Barkley Fall Classic by reading footprints in mud, and staying composed when fatigue blurs judgment. His take on aging is refreshing—best fitness at 58, faster times through consistency, and zero interest in shrinking goals. If you need a shove to recommit or a template to rebuild, this conversation delivers practical, repeatable ideas: build a route you can start daily, align training with your event, keep the work simple, and let consistency do the heavy lifting. Listen, then tell us the one habit you’ll change this week. Subscribe, share with a training partner, and leave a review to help others find the show. Thanks for listening to Running With Problems. Follow us on Instagram @runningwithproblems. DM us there with questions in text or audio messages! Or email us at podcast@runningwithproblems.run. Hosted by Jon Eisen (@mildly_athletic) and Miranda Williamson (@peaksandjustice). Edited by Jon Eisen. Theme music by Matt Beer.

    1h

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4,9
de 5
15 avaliações

Sobre

A podcast about the lives of runners and the problems we face.

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